6 ways to build a great mobile newsroom

Organizations are increasingly aware that newsrooms must be like the news media they are designed for, delivering great content.

Yet as the mobile revolution takes hold, it is no longer wise to think primarily about desktop users when designing a newsroom.

Mobile use is skyrocketing, and beginning this year, Google will move to mobile-first indexing when it ranks results, as opposed to the desktop-first it currently employs, says Jared Hoffmann digital content editor at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

“Sixty percent of our website visitors are visiting on mobile devices, so we know that mobile is important,” says Hoffmann, whose organization uses a PressPage newsroom.

How then should organizations think about their newsrooms, given that reporters and stakeholders access them on the go from mobile phones? Here are a few tips:

1. Think about the mobile experience.

It seems like just yesterday that the catchword for smart mobile design was “responsive,” or coding for whatever device the user was checking in on. Yet responsive design often has meant creating separate versions of the website for mobile and desktop, says Hoffman.